Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) commemorated its Golden Jubilee on Monday 25th November 2019 at “Leilati Banquet Hall” in Jeddah
Jeddah (Pakistan Point News - 29th November, 2019) Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) commemorated its Golden Jubilee on Monday 25th November 2019 at “Leilati Banquet Hall” in Jeddah, in the presence of an elite participation, including such high-level figures as HRH Prince Khaled Al Faisal, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Prince of the Makkah province and patron of the ceremony on behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and His Highness Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Bin Abdullah Al Saoud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the headquarter state, and a number of OIC Member States’ foreign ministers and the diplomatic corps in the Kingdom along with intellectuals, literary figures and media representatives.
The OIC Secretary General, Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, noted in his statement at the ceremony that the OIC’s work over the past fifty years of its existence would not have been completed had it not been for the efforts of the leaders of the Member States who have firmly embraced the Organization’s objectives, such that the OIC has evolved into a model of joint Islamic action covering all fields.
In his address, Dr. Al-Othaimeen expressed his thanks to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman, chairman of the Islamic Summit, and to HRH the Crown Prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, for the support accorded to the OIC and for the active role played by the Kingdom toward the unity and glory of the Ummah, as well as for the support extended to joint Islamic action and to the battle against terrorism and violent extremism.
The Secretary General voiced the view that the OIC’s achievements represent a crowning for the much appreciated efforts put in by the ministers and the Organization’s adjunct organs.
Dr. Al-Othaimeen also paid tribute the Kingdom’s endeavours to advance the Saudi developmental sectors through its vision 2030 which aims, in parallel, to promote the economy and diversify investments. In fact, the uplift of any Member State, he said, is bound to help advance the goals underlying the OIC’s establishment.
His Highness Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Bin Abdullah Al Saoud, KSA minister of foreign affairs delivered the host country’s statement in the ceremony and said that the OIC has stood up for the causes of the Islamic world, foremost of which the cause of Palestine, as a prime concern for the
Islamic Ummah, noting that it shall remain the core interest of the OIC until the achievement by the Palestinian people of their legitimate and unalienable right to establish their own independent state with Eastern Al Quds/Jerusalem as its capital, and that the OIC opposes a categorical rejection to any measures prejudicial to the legal and historical status of Al Quds/Jerusalem. He also commanded the OIC for its supportive stand in favour of the Muslim minorities in non-Member States, including, in particular, the Rohingyas.
Prince Faisal Bin Farhan also added that the OIC had managed to preserve the identity and authentic values of Islam and Muslims and to clear away misconceptions about the Islamic Ummah, through cooperation among the Member States in the areas of education, science and culture.
Speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, HE Mr. Mohammad Bin Yousef, Tunisian Foreign Minister in charge of Arab and Islamic affairs, head of the Tunisian delegation, also delivered a statement followed by HE Mrs Lunga Makeen, State Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Gabon, on behalf of the African Group, followed by HE Maouloud Jawih Uglu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, on behalf of the Asian Group. Then, on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mrs Naziha Al Wafi, Deputy Minister in charge of expatriate Moroccan citizens, addressed the meeting and congratulated the Islamic States on the OIC’s anniversary, noting that the Kingdom of Morocco had decided to stage a grand ceremony on this occasion to celebrate the Organization’s Jubilee, on 12 December next, in the capital Rabat, and invited all participants to attend the event.
At the close of the ceremony a number of Islamic figures were honoured, on the sidelines of the event, for their outstanding contributions towards the achievement of the OIC’s goals. These were: His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Saad Bin Nasr Al Shethri for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Chief Constable Naila Hasan from Newzealand; Prof.Wakaruddin, a notable activist from the Muslim Rohingyas; His Eminence Sheikh Mahmoud Mal Bikri, an academic from Cameroon, Dr. Ahmed Abadi from Moroco, and the Emirati entrepreneur, Mr. Jomaa Al Majid.
